# @gettyimages on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/BGH1pHGsREG
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/16456259-gettyimages-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/cbd94ec83f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2016-06-01T18:48:02.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Getty Images (@GettyImages) — https://gondola.cc/GettyImages

## Caption

The harvesting of cordycep fungus near Sershul on the #Tibetan Plateau in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan province. The #TibetanPlateau is home to the cordyceps #fungus, also known as caterpillar fungus - a parasitic spore that thrives in high altitude, low temperature conditions. While not historically a part of Tibetan culture, cordyceps are a prized ingredient of traditional Asian medicinal treatments that purportedly heal ailments ranging from asthma to cancer. Demand in China alone has created a booming economy for what Tibetans call yartsa gunbu, or summer grass, winter worm, which sells for up to $50,000 US per pound. As the state-supported cordyceps industry has developed, Tibetans who rely primarily on farming and herding have turned to the weeks-long harvest as a means of earning income to last through the year. The annual gold rush has transformed parts of rural #Tibet, generating about 40% of the local economy. However, environmentalists increasingly warn that over-harvesting of cordyceps carries the cost of degradation to mountain #grasslands that are essential for yak and cattle grazing. Due to below average rainfall the 2016, harvest is expected to be the lowest on record | May 20, 2016 | 📷: kevinfrayer | #GettyImagesNews

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 2,146
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- **Comments:** 9

## Tags

fungus, gettyimagesnews, tibetanplateau, tibetan, grasslands, tibet

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